1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to micro-structures such as micro-gears, micro-optical parts, or molds for molding these micro-products manufactured by rapid prototyping, and a manufacturing method and an apparatus thereof, and more particularly relates to micro-structures obtained by laminating thin films consisting of a metal or an insulator which are patterned into sectional forms, and a manufacturing method and an apparatus thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Rapid prototyping has been rapidly popularized recently as a method for molding three dimensional complex form products designed with the aid of a computer within a short time. Three dimensional products manufactured by rapid prototyping are used as parts models (prototype) of various apparatus to predict the suitability of operation or form of parts. This method has been mainly applied to relatively large parts having a size of several cm or larger, however, recently it has been desired to apply this method to manufacture micro-parts formed by precise working such as micro-gears and micro-optical parts. Conventional methods for manufacturing such micro-parts described hereinafter have been known.
(1) Stereolithography (referred to as "conventional example 1" hereinafter).
(2) Selective laser sintering (referred to as "conventional example 2" hereinafter).
(3) Sheet lamination (referred to as "conventional example 3" hereinafter).
(4) Method using thin films as starting material (referred to as "conventional example 4" hereinafter).